I always knew children’s clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch as a business success story – now celebrating 20 years – but I never thought I’d actually like it myself due its ‘frou frou’ nature but I have been made a convert at the media showing today…
If you had asked me yesterday what I looked for in baby wear I would have said, homemade, natural fibres and not too over decorated.
Not at all what I would associate with chain store retailers; after all, they have margins and bulk manufacturing and consistency to deal with.
I always knew children’s clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch as a business success story – now celebrating 20 years – but I never thought I’d actually like it myself, mostly to be honest due its ‘frou frou’ nature. If there’s a plain top, it will be embellished with a motif or embroidery of some kind. I thought, well it’s mass market and what they do, they do well. Incredibly well. They have over fifty international stores as well as patches all over this nation.
Below, Lily Robinson, 9 months, shops with grandma Liz Johnson.
However, I have been made a convert at the media showing today, down at Sylvia Park flagship store.
I had no idea, for starters, that they did organic cotton. A taupe striped baby sleepsack was only $20; amazing. And there were plain block colours in knits, cable jumpers, and a cute rose pink coat – which sadly started at toddler sizes or I would have had one for Lily. She got a charcoal Textured Knitted Coat ($44.99) with grey buttons – the floral motifs only subtly appearing etched into the buttons, nice! – and a natural cable knit hooded cardigan ($32.99) whose only concession to cutesy was its name – Prairie Princess in colourway Snow White!
Whilst I still think there’s nothing like hand knits to invest love and the quality of pure wool into baby wear, I have to admit it was a real eye-opener spending time looking beyond the butterflies and fairies and finding that the Patch do in fact have something for everyone and their baby.
Something Pumpkin Patch does do very well, is invest in good quality staff. The floor salespeople I noticed were all helpful, and to appear genuinely enjoy children – not always a given at children’s wear stores! I have to break here for a moment to sing the praises of the very lovely Marina Oetgen from their head office, who instantly summed up exactly what my style was and ran around hand picking out pieces she thought I’d like. What great attention to detail and customer awareness.
Below: the new look of store layout at the Sylvia Park store, about to be rolled out both in NZ and internationally. Walls feature embossed white vines of flowers and lots of swallows, as one swallow does not a summer collection make. The popular TV corner has been retained, to the gladness of many a parent, and fitting rooms have wall stencils to keep children amused while trying on.
Photography brings nature indoors, extending the proverbial olive branch on the walls on the new store fit out.
Below: Pumpkin Patch’s Amanda Rathbun with Mimi Olds-Spence of Littlies magazine at the Spring Summer media Spring Summer preview at Sylvia Park today.
Sunday magazine’s Debbie Harrison, with colleague from Sunday Star Times, Rowan Spinks.
Lily and Liz with the balloons celebrating twenty years of Pumpkin Patch.
Sneak preview of the girl’s summer story: Country Tea Party has pretty florals and vintage-inspired prints and the boys’ story, Spring Cruising Club, features nautical stripes and checks.
Happy birthday to the Patch!
By Megan Robinson, 1 June 2010.
Leave a Reply